Fox 32’s Larry Yellen announces retirement

Larry Yellen

Larry Yellen, who brought a lawyer’s training and a journalist’s curiosity to his coverage of the courts, is retiring after 25 years as investigative reporter and legal analyst at Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32.

Yellen, 67, told colleagues Wednesday he’s voluntarily stepping down from full-time employment at the end of September. While he may appear on Fox 32 from time to time as an expert contributor, he plans to spend much of his time traveling with his wife and daughter, and pursuing fly-fishing and volunteer work.

“There has been nothing more rewarding than working with all of you,” Yellen told a newsroom gathering called by news director Matt Piacente. “More than this being about my retirement, I want to thank all of you.”

A native of north suburban Waukegan, Yellen graduated from the University of Michigan and Northwestern University Law School before working for the Better Government Association in Washington, D.C.

Shifting to television news, he spent more than 10 years as a producer for ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. In joining Fox 32 in 1994, he moved from behind the scenes to on camera, and played a key role in coverage of Chicago's most high-profile legal proceedings, including the trials of Rod Blagojevich, R. Kelly and many more.

Yellen doubled as weekend news anchor at Fox 32 from 2010 to 2015, and he continued as a fill-in news anchor after that.

The winner of 10 Peter Lisagor Awards and multiple regional Emmy Awards for his work, Yellen was inducted in the Silver Circle of the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2014.

"Great reporter and an even better guy," tweeted Fox 32 reporter Dane Placko.